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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. wax — to grow
  3. bear — the animal
  4. clip — a video
  5. clip — to cut
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. pop — soda
  12. stand — to bear
  13. mate — to breed
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pop — to visit
  19. clip — for paper
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. wax — in the ear
  23. mate — a partner
  24. stand — on your feet

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com